Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance

The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance ("the UEMO") has fully commenced on 22 December 2007. Now, senders of commercial electronic messages are required:

1. to provide clear and accurate sender information in the message;
2. to provide an unsubscribe facility and an unsubscribe facility statement in the message;
3. to honour unsubscribe requests within ten (10) working days after the request has been sent;
4. not to send commercial electronic messages to any telephone or fax number registered in the do-not-call registers starting from the tenth (10) working day of its registration, unless consent has been given by the registered user of the relevant telephone or fax number;
5. not to hide the calling line identification information when sending messages to telephone or fax numbers; and
6. not to send email messages with misleading subject headings.

Please note that some provisions of the UEMO have already commenced on 1 June 2007 during the Phase One implementation. These provisions prohibit:

1. the use of unscrupulous techniques to expand the reach of commercial electronic messages (Part III of the UEMO); and
2. fraud and other illicit activities related to the sending of multiple commercial electronic messages (Part IV of the UEMO).

This section of our website contains information for the public and the industry about

• what the legislation is about and how it will be put into effect;
• what the public should do if they receive commercial electronic messages and how they can make report to OFTA;
• how the industry can comply with the law requirements; and
• what efforts have been made to contain the unsolicited electronic messages (UEM) problem